Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Harvest is over for 2009. It has been a great year, and we have come a long way in the vineyard. Now we just have to nurse the wines along to completion (without messing it up)!

We harvested the Cab Franc last Saturday, and the grapes looked great. We think it will really make a premium wine, so we're excited. But it was a push to finish at the end, and we are a little worn out. The grape vines look that way too, slowly fading in color, getting ready for dormancy. There are still a few little clusters left on the vine, very sweet, which got missed during harvest. I thought the birds would get them, but Dave says they have moved on.

We had a huge group out here Friday to see the winery. The Pediatric Interest Group, where the residents and faculty host the medical students from KU School of Medicine-Wichita, came out. It was a lot of fun, but it was hard to really show the place off, because the group was big and night was falling. I hope they come back another time.

Now come the holiday preparations, and the start of planning for next year. Jeff is preparing a presentation for our board of directors, to see if there is a forseeable break even point in our future. (I'm afraid to ask, but I'm sure they will come up with some great ideas.) Dave wants to order more tanks and barrels, and he's right. We need them. Pat has recommended better sanitation equipment. I want to upgrade the tasting room. Always a wish list...

We did come up with a brilliant inspiration for fall/winter. We have a recipe for our Seyval as a hot spiced wine which is absolutely delicious. A real cool weather treat. Everyone who has tried it in the tasting room has been enthusiastic. It might be the perfect thing for a tailgate at a college or pro football game, especially if it's cool like this weekend is predicted to be. So come out and give it a try!